Yokogawa buys Dell OEM PCs

September 11, 2014 – Yokogawa Electric announced that it is working with Dell OEM Solutions for the provision of PC models that are tailored for Yokogawa’s customers. Yokogawa will offer high-quality system solutions that utilize Dell PCs and Yokogawa industrial automation (IA) system-related products.

High performance PCs that incorporate the latest technologies are being used more and more in the control systems field, replacing the dedicated terminals that are used as human machine interfaces and to connect with host systems. Most of Yokogawa’s customers are looking to deploy a stable, high quality production control system for one to two decades, but using off-the-shelf PCs means they must upgrade their hardware, operating systems, and application software every few years. Yokogawa is working with Dell for the supply of customized Yokogawa PC models designed to provide high quality system solutions over the long term.

Yokogawa and Dell have tested the Dell PCs to confirm their compatibility with Yokogawa IA system- related products, including CENTUM VP integrated production control system, ProSafe-RS safety instrumented system, Plant Resource Manager (PRM), and Exa series solution-based software. The customized Yokogawa PC models will be distributed globally and will be “long-life products” that remain available for twice as long as equivalent commercial off-the-shelf products. To meet a variety of operating conditions and installation requirements, the PCs will be available in a rack-mount or desktop configuration with either a server or client operating system.

The customized Yokogawa PCs offer high quality system solutions and help reduce maintenance costs. The key benefits include:

• Stable operation: the PC hardware and operating system are tested to confirm their compatibility with the Yokogawa system-related products.

• Fewer model changes: Since individual models are available for longer periods of time, model changes will be less of a concern when purchasing a new PC, either as an add-on or replacement.

• One-stop maintenance service: Yokogawa’s maintenance service will cover both its system- related products and the PCs.

“How to combine IT and IA is an important management issue for manufacturers because they urgently need to strengthen their competitiveness in the global market and ensure that they are managed in a sustainable fashion.,” said Chiaki Itoh, vice president and head of the IA Marketing Headquarters for Yokogawa. “By making the best use of Yokogawa’s industrial automation technologies and know-how accumulated over the years and Dell’s latest technologies and extensive supply chain, Yokogawa will continue to be able to offer its customers solutions that achieve the goals of our VigilantPlant initiative.”

“We are proud to partner with Yokogawa to help deliver next-generation industrial automation systems,” said Joyce Mullen, vice president and general manager OEM Solutions, Dell. “Yokogawa and Dell engineers are collaborating to deliver stable PC models tailored to the needs of control systems.”

About Yokogawa
Yokogawa's global network of 86 companies spans 56 countries. Founded in 1915, the US$4 billion company conducts cutting-edge research and innovation. Yokogawa is engaged in the industrial automation and control (IA), test and measurement, and other businesses segments. The IA segment plays a vital role in a wide range of industries including oil, chemicals, natural gas, power, iron and steel, pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, and food. For more information about Yokogawa, please visit the company’s website www.yokogawa.com.